3rd Wave Coffee

​One of the joys of living and traveling in the 21st century is the easy access to a good Cup of Joe. As a child growing up in the 60’s I recall the coffee my Mom would prepare when we had company. Made in a pot on the back of the stove, its aroma was alluring but its taste was bitter. It was not until I attended college that I developed a taste for java. It was a comfort while chatting with classmates in the ‘caf’. Although we did not solve the world’s problems, our caffeine infused conversations brought us close! 

 

Sometime in my 20’s I fell in love with all things java. I began buying green coffee beans in graduate school from a small coffee shop in Minneapolis. I would then roast them in a pie tin in our oven. My fellow grad students liked to pop in for a very fresh cup of coffee when they smelled the aroma in the apartment hallways! I was fortunate to win a monetary prize for a paper I wrote as a senior. There was no question what to do with the winnings. I bought my first Gaggia Espresso Machine! 

 

It used to be a struggle to find a good cup of coffee when traveling, especially in the United States. Forty years ago it was hit and miss. And then Starbucks arrived. I’ll never forget when I walked into my first Starbucks in Chicago in 1991. The Berlin Wall had recently fell and a new world order was brimming with possibilities. I was able to order and enjoy a cappuccino right here in America!

 

Speaking of America, I soon discovered that our country is not conducive to raising coffee. That did not discourage me from sourcing and buying a coffee plant when we lived in Pittsburgh. We already were raising two young sons, and I gave this little plant as much tender loving care as them!. While our boys were resilient, my plant was not. The climate was just to harsh for the shiny leaves and soon spindly branches. 

 

A number of years later, a mission trip took our family to the Dominican Republic. There in the western highlands of the country we met a coffee farmer and his estate. It was a thrill of a lifetime to walk under the canopy of shade trees where birds chirped and behold the coffee trees beneath. Our group joined a team of pickers from the neighboring country of Haiti. They supplied us with burlap sacks that hung from our necks. They then showed us how to pick the ripening berries from the verdant coffee trees. 

 

It was a humbling experience. The ground was uneven and the branches were between chest and head level. Each berry was picked, one at a time. We learned that it takes about 70 berries to make one cup of brewed coffee! As I recall, it took approximately 15 minutes to pick those 70 berries. Four cups of coffee/hour. 

 

Did I tell you it was hot and muggy as well? Coffee production is a time consuming and manual labor endeavor. It is with the deepest gratitude that I continue to enjoy this marvelous brew all these years later. I am also grateful that more and more companies are building humane and equitable relations with the farms (fincas) and their laborers. 

 

Coffee culture is a billion dollar industry in the world. From the behemoths like Starbucks and Nestle to the local privately owned coffee shop in town. Together they offer access to coffee like no other generation. To some degree, we are living in the golden age of food. Consider the artisanal variety of chocolate, tea, beer, and other beverages. They are all on par with wine and its complex offerings. If you have sipped a Napa Valley Cabernet or a Kenya AA coffee you know what I am talking about.

 

Coffee professionals like to talk about the 3 Waves of coffee. Gladly, we are in the 3rd Wave. The First Wave began well over a 150 years ago. By the mid-19th century coffee was a staple commodity in both Europe and America. It was a commonplace for example, during the American Civil War, among Union troops. And along with hardtack, coffee was the only edible or potable commodity. Thanks to the industrial revolution the harvesting and shipment of vast quantities of coffee was possible. Its quality was rarely guaranteed, but its stimulus and flavor were appreciated.  

 

The 1st Wave reached its zenith during the 1950’s. With the advent of Folgers and Maxwell House the novelty of coffee became an everyday commodity. Distribution saturated the market and far flung and remote communities had a can of coffee usually on the shelf. 

 

The 2nd Wave of coffee occurred as a grassroots movement. Roasters like Alfred Peete and visionaries like Howard Schultz popularized the stand alone “Coffee Shop”. The first Peet’s Coffee in Berkeley, CA and the first Starbucks Coffee in Seattle, WA revolutionized the coffee experience in America. Inspired by the coffee scene in Europe they popularized traditional coffee drinks like cappuccino, espresso and lattes. Independently they branded the ‘third place’ phenomenon. A place where people could hang out; other than work or home. By the 90’s Hollywood captured the zeitgeist with the long running sitcom, Friends and the 'Central Perk' coffee shop. 

 

As Starbucks expanded many imitators and competitors saturated the market. Coffee shops became ubiquitous and shifted away from classic coffee into flavored drinks. Frapaccinos and flavored beverages replaced coffee shots and the 2nd Wave was crashing to an end.

 

Fortunately, people rediscovered coffee and its immense complexities. Affordable home coffee brewing instruments created an incubator of creativity. Interest in roasting, grinding, sourcing and brewing gained momentum. Soon the 3rd Wave took off. Specialty coffee shops began to pop up like mushrooms to vie for attention. Equal value was given to the farmer who produced the bean to how the current cup was presented to the customer. Pour over coffee became the rage. Customers gladly wait for their craft made cup to be announced by a barista. 

 

Now, whether I am driving around the Twin Cities or traveling abroad I am quick to Google: ‘coffee shop near me’. It is easy to scan the pictures that populate on my phone to see if the shop is a 3rd Waver. They will feature creme art work of hearts and swirls atop a gorgeous ceramic cup and saucer. Often an added benefit is they serve killer baked goods as well. 

 

Then, when I find a seat with my steaming cappuccino and pain aux raisins, I’ll pull out my phone and snap a picture. I’ll send it to my kids and wish them well from the cozy confines of my newly discovered 3rd Wave coffee shop! Here are some samples from a recent trip to Berlin and Prague: